# Austrian Atheist Wins Right To Wear Spaghetti Strainer As Religious Headgear **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 13, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936 "2011-07-13T22:53:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/1 "2011-07-13T22:53:22Z")
Story [here](http://www.businessinsider.com/niko-alm-2011-7). I live this part: > [@](#): > > Niko Alm claimed the strainer was a requirement of his religion, The Church of the Flying Spaghetti monster, or pastafarianism. Sign me up, and where do I find a chic strainer like that? Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/2 "2011-07-13T23:18:34Z")
Would that count as a tin-foil hat? Or at least in the family of? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/3 "2011-07-13T23:27:53Z")
Huh. I wouldn’t have thought his arguments would hold water. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/4 "2011-07-13T23:37:31Z")
> [@](#): > > **Niko Alm claimed the strainer was a requirement of his religion** , The Church of the Flying Spaghetti monster, or pastafarianism. > > The only dogma of the parody-religion is “ **the rejection of all dogma** ,” and pastafarianism came out as a protest when the Kansas School Board ruled in 2005 that intelligent design can be taught in schools. How can a religion that “rejects all dogma” have a religious headgear requirement? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/5 "2011-07-13T23:43:28Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > How can a religion that “rejects all dogma” have a religious headgear requirement? If you’re going to start claiming a religion has to make sense, the atheists have already won. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/6 "2011-07-13T23:45:21Z")
I love the deadpan look on his face. That is one snazzy colander. He must be very wealthy. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/7 "2011-07-13T23:50:18Z")
I thought pirate headgear was required. Is there a new schism in Pastafarianism? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/8 "2011-07-13T23:53:26Z")
So, what do you get to wear if you are a follower of the Invisible Pink Unicorn? ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/9 "2011-07-13T23:58:03Z")
A large pink dunce cap. Luckily it has to be invisible. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/10 "2011-07-14T00:10:53Z")
Pretty stupid. It’s great to make a point and all, but not at that price. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/11 "2011-07-14T00:20:54Z")
At what price? ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/12 "2011-07-14T00:27:40Z")
> [@Sierra\_Indigo](#): > > At what price? Being exhibited worldwide with a colander on your head? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/13 "2011-07-14T00:27:44Z")
If he’s making a point I’m afraid I don’t see it. I should join the church of the Subgenius and bring a pipe with me the next time I get my license renewed. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/14 "2011-07-14T00:29:49Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > A large pink dunce cap. Luckily it has to be invisible. Interesting… can one get an exemption to wearing a motorcycle helmet with it? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/15 "2011-07-14T00:37:01Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > If he’s making a point I’m afraid I don’t see it. It would appear to be a literal example of \*reductio ad absurdum \*… not in disproving anything, but in actual reduction to the absurd… if religious headwear gets an exemption then anything can be claimed as a religious symbol and exempt. ---
**Author:** ![Bamboo\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@Bamboo\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bamboo_Boy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/16 "2011-07-14T00:37:06Z")
> [@Sal\_Ammoniac](#): > > Pretty stupid. It’s great to make a point and all, but not at that price. Just wondering, sans snark- what price is that? I mean, he may have spent a deal of his own money, which would be his business (to which I would say "Hey- he’s stimulating the economy in dire times! But I’d be joking and have no idea really what I was talking about. But I diverge, and it would still be his business). And of course the Austrian state has to foot the bill for the paper pushing. But that’s standard and not a substantial (IMHO) cost to force the Austrian government (and people) to take a good hard look at this particular policy. The particular issue may seem petty, understandably. But this comes in a climate of a persisting attitude which deems religious institutions and religious views as unchallengeable, sacrosanct and worthy of exception for wholly irrational reasons. Please don’t make me defend the use of irrational, esp. with “Well, to YOU it may seem irrational…” Hats off (and pasta strainers ON!) to this Austrian guy for doing some dirty work that needs doing, frankly speaking. In this brave new cyber-world, his point may well resonate with people very far displaced geographically but living under similar double standards (or not that far- I’m looking at YOU, England with your ridiculous House of Lords). He managed to make it fun and light yet made a very clear point. Kudos!! 😃 -BB ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/17 "2011-07-14T00:41:35Z")
I wonder if the ACLU would ever take up a case like this. I wanna wear a colander! ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/18 "2011-07-14T01:02:35Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I love the deadpan look on his face. > > That is one snazzy colander. He must be very wealthy. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought of that thread. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/19 "2011-07-14T01:13:46Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > If he’s making a point I’m afraid I don’t see it. > > I should join the church of the Subgenius and bring a pipe with me the next time I get my license renewed. That’s because it’s covered by the colander. The point that is. Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936/20 "2011-07-14T01:47:31Z")
Back in my day when we ran around with colanders on our heads we called ourselves Vikings. The Viking age ended when our parents would call us to return the colanders because they had to make dinner. Of course we’d have spaghetti. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austrian-atheist-wins-right-to-wear-spaghetti-strainer-as-religious-headgear/588936.md?page=2)